The man who washed agent Mino Raiola's dirty underpants in public just 24 hours before City blew the chance to win the Premier League against rivals Manchester United - by claiming he had been offered Paul Pogba in January.

Haring out of the blocks with incredible pace and vigour, City were taken out of a comfort zone too many teams have allowed them to play in this season.

Despite losing 5-0 at The Etihad earlier in the season, Klopp's men still had total belief in their game and in all three victories have pressed and hassled City high up the field as if their lives, never mind careers, depended on it.

Then there have been the selection controversies - like leaving out Raheem Sterling for the first leg at Anfield and keeping super striker Sergio Aguero and inspirational skipper Vincent Kompany on the bench on Tuesday for most of the second leg.

No matter how much money is spent on central defenders - Aymeric Laporte, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones - City still cannot seem to stop conceding soft goals.

Again, that is almost half the league, and that is being generous to David Wagner and Roy Hodgson, whose teams have not yet pulled clear of relegation worries.

Bayern and Real are potential semi-final opponents should they come through their quarter-finals unscathed today.

City are good - but they are not that good. I saw the body language of my players.

It is understood that Shakhtar Donetsk's Fred, Napoli's Jean-Michel Seri and Borussia Dortmund's Julian Weigl are the club's top midfield targets who would each be expected to set the club back £40m or more.

But the Guardiola aura does not glow anywhere near as bright any more.